evolution and global systems

natural selection.

A process that results in permanent changes in a population due to traits that enhance survival and reproduction.

selection pressures.

Environmental factors that influence the survival and reproduction of individuals in a population.

speciation.

The formation of new species through evolutionary processes.

homologous structures?

Structures in different species that have similar anatomical structures but may have different functions, indicating common ancestry.

analogous structures?

Structures in different species that have similar functions but have evolved independently and do not share a common ancestor.

carbon cycle?

A biogeochemical cycle that describes how carbon atoms move through various reservoirs in the Earth system.

key participants in the carbon cycle

Photosynthesis, respiration, decomposition, and combustion.

natural greenhouse effect (NGE).

The process by which certain gases in the Earth's atmosphere trap thermal radiation, warming the planet.

enhanced greenhouse effect (EGE)?

The increase in the concentration of greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere due to human activities, leading to additional warming of the planet.

Record

climate change.

Long-term shifts in temperatures and weather patterns. These shifts may be natural, but since the 1800s, human activities have been the main driver of climate change, primarily due to burning fossil fuels (like coal, oil and gas), which produces heat-trapping gases.

global warming.

The long-term warming of the Earth's climate system observed since the pre-industrial period (between 1850 and 1900) due to human activities, primarily fossil fuel burning, which increases heat-trapping greenhouse gas levels in Earth’s atmosphere.